Be loyal to country over leaders, PM tells civil servants

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 11 — The civil service’s commitment must be to the welfare of the nation above all others, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

In his monthly address to government workers today, Dr Mahathir said civil servants should only put their trust and loyalty in leaders and politicians who bring about growth and development in the country.

The prime minister stressed that positions in and of themselves should not automatically command blind faith.

“If the leaders or party have brought great achievement to the country, then pledge loyalty towards the leader.

“But if they commit wrongs in their duties, even if we have been tied to them for 61 years, we must then refocus our loyalties to the country,” he told a gathering of around 300 civil servants here today.

Dr Mahathir urged the civil service not to remain obsessed with such parties and leaders, in a veiled reference to Barisan Nasional (BN) that was voted out last year.

The Pakatan Harapan government previously said it was facing sabotage from within the civil service by those still loyal towards BN that had governed Malaysia for over six decades.

“We have chosen the democratic system, which gives the chance for anyone to leader the country.

“To have this system, we need to divide ourselves to political parties that have its own agendas and ideologies. It is up to us to support which party we want to lead the government.

“Of course, we would be loyal to the party and its leader, but our loyalty should only be towards the country,” he said.